208 Transactions. 



are a little apart ; they have chatmted a lament for their child 

 and greeted their mountain home. Then, as the mountain-brow 

 becomes obscured by the mists the whole of the people give 

 voice together in an ancient dirge of their race The bitter 

 sleet and snow, fierce-dr'.ven by the winds, pelt the mourners 

 unmercifully. Through the drifting scud we see the great cbffs 

 far ahead, wherein are the caves of the dead, where l'e the bones 

 of many generations of the children of Potiki. And then, with 

 the storm fiends lashing us, we go down into the darkling valley 

 below. 



When we reached the narrow valley where, in times long 

 passed away, the men of Tuahau were done to death, we who 

 were not bound by tapu indulged in a meal ; but the bearers of 

 the child were not allowed to partake of food until the shadBS of 

 night should fall, and the bereaved parents, be'ng in the whare 

 potae, were also forced to go foodless. They sat apart from us 

 " common " people, and full well do I remember the indignant 

 refusal of the bereaved mother to partake of a pannikin of tea 

 which I offered i ; her. Mm culpa/ Of a verity my sins be 



many. 



When our party emerged from the forest into the clearing and 



saw, a mile below us, the village of the Tama-kai-moana clan, 



a few shots were fired to let the people know of our arrival. 



They fire several shots in return. Then we see the people rapidly 



collecting in the plaza, and long, wailing cries come to us on the 



clear mountain air. Descending by rugged ways we reach the 



stream below, where we halt and form into solid column, the 



bearers of the bier being in front. In that formation we march 



slowly up the slope towards the village. When about half-way up 



the challenger (wero) leaps from cover beh : nd a stump. Naked 



to the waist, clad but in a scanty kilt, face painted, hair adorned 



with feathers, and brandishing a double-barrelled gun, he advances 



towards us, leaping from side to side, making hideous grimaces, 



lolling out his tongue, and emitting deep-toned grunts as of 



defiance. When within about 12 ft. of the front of the slowly 



advancing column he rapidly fires both barrels of his gun to right 



and left, turns to his right, and walks quietly back to the hamlet. 



The column takes no notice of this exhibition, but marches slowly 



onward, with 'guns at the trail, looking straight before them and 



downward. Meanwhile volley after volley is being fired in our 



direction from the village, where many of the men are armed 



with breech-loaders. Loud cries of " Haere mai ! " are mingled 



with a dozen different laments. As the head of our column 



reaches the fence which encloses the plaza the armed men are 



crouched behind it. Thrusting their guns through the palisades 



they fire a final volley over our heads, and then retire to take 



